DSE inoculation improves phosphorus efficiency and licorice's medicinal quality under various phosphorus sources

The lack of phosphorus in soil reduces the medicinal value of licorice and the artificial production of the crop is obstructed. Even though dark septate endophytes are able to enhance growth of the plant, their effects upon phosphorus absorption and metabolism, effects of dark septate endophytes on licorice quality with different phosphorus sources is not well understood. This experiment created various soil phosphorus conditions with the sources of lecithin, calcium phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate as sources used to determine the influence of dark septate endophyte inoculations on the growth and metabolic activities of licorice. The findings showed that regardless of the phosphorus source, the darkness septate endophytes inoculation enhanced phosphorus uptake, biomass and root growth in licorice. The dark septate endophytes inoculation increased the soil available phosphorus levels and ensured balance of the organic and inorganic forms and substantially upregulated the expression of licorice genes related to secondary metabolism and phosphorus absorption, thereby boosting medicinal component accumulation. These results highlight the prospect of the dark septate endophyte-licorice system in natural production of licorice as well as give a platform on the future study of the ecological roles of dark septate endophytes.